


RWBY: Continued Justice

by slug39terra



Series: RWBY: Demonic Justice [2]
Category: RWBY, Sonic.EXE Nightmare Beginning
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-12
Updated: 2020-11-13
Packaged: 2021-03-05 01:27:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,185
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25226080
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/slug39terra/pseuds/slug39terra
Summary: To quote DBZA's version of Vegeta; I'M BACK BITCHES! But in all seriousness though this will be a sort of prologue to commence this.To explain this new Ryan, he comes from an alternate timeline where he effectively became no different from Sark after he came back from the dead (read: Remember when Hate nearly took control of him in Futile Determination (Part 4), only this time it succeeded) and slaughtered everyone in sight, Exetior and his original self's friends being the first, warranting Glynda to seek Salem's help in taking him down, he used Hate to gain Exetior's full abilities as a Demon along with his Semblance while also turning Nyx into a puppet so he could use every ability the Geist gave Ryan Prime for himself.
Series: RWBY: Demonic Justice [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1826050





	1. Chapter 1: Returning Nightmare

[[song: In My Way - Toby Fox]]

Darkness.

Darkness surrounded a lone figure as he looked around while calling out for someone, anyone.

"Ruby! Yang! Exetior!"

The figure continued before he felt a chill down his spine before turning to see something he wished he didn't. He found his friends in varying states of damage, Blake with a hole in her chest, Weiss with her throat ripped out and Yang with a knife embedded into her head.

The figure's blood ran cold as he examined the corpses of his teammates before turning to see his leader with her back towards him, causing him to call out.

"Ruby!" the figure moved as fast as he could before Ruby turned around, the sight that greeted him causing the figure to stop in his tracks; both of her eyes were gouged out as blood poured out from the sockets while she herself looked broken.

"Get away from me!" Ruby responded in terror and uncharacteristic hate causing the figure to flinch before he spoke "W-what?"

"We trusted you Ryan!" Ruby spoke "What happened to make you do all this!?"

Ryan stammered before trying to respond "R-Ruby, I didn't do-" Ryan's response was cut off as a sharp sound rung through the air. Ruby's arms slackened as she fell to her knees, causing her head to fall off as it rolled towards Ryan's feet. Ryan stared in horror at the sight before a familiar voice caught his attention.

"Well well well. So the hero finally comes." Ryan turned to see a darkened figure walk near him, the Faunus looked down to see his partner Exetior, battered, missing an arm and eye while being held by his head by the figure.

"Or should I say... Monster." the figure's eyes opened, one red and the other purple, while he flashed an inhuman smile, unnerving Ryan before he asked "Who are you and what did you do to my partner?"

The figure cackled before he spoke, his mouth not moving "In reverse order, I simply took something he misused." The figure tightened his grasp on Exetior's head, the demon gasping before his head detonated in a mess of blood before the figure continued "To answer the question of who I am... Well I thought you would have recognised your own face."

Ryan's eyes widened in realisation at what Ruby said "You're me?"

"Actually, I'm what we were destined to be from coming to Remnant... but you just had to play the hero." the figure responded as confirmation of his statement appeared in the form of nine large fox tails appearing while Ryan saw that he also had an Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan and Rinnegan in the exact same place as his own.

"N-no I'll never be you!" Ryan stated with minor fear, causing the figure to laugh before responding "You cannot fight fate, and in turn myself." the figure dropped Exetior's corpse before lunging at Ryan.

[[song end]]

* * *

Ryan screamed as he jolted up into a sitting position on what was Weiss' bed, causing Ruby, Yang and Blake to wake up in a fright before they looked at their panicked teammate.

"Again with the nightmares." Yang griped, half in annoyance and half in concern while Ryan steadied his breathing.

"This is getting out of hand Ryan." Blake stated in worry before Ruby added "It's been weeks since the Battle of Beacon and you still having nightmares about it."

"It's NOT the pissing Battle that's causing it!" Ryan shouted, startling the girls before Yang asked "What?"

Ryan collected himself before answering "It isn't the Battle that's causing these nightmares, if anything participating in the Battle of Beacon was the most fun I've ever had. It's what happened during it which caused these nightmares."

"During it?" Ruby asked in justifiable confusion.

"The day of the Battle of Beacon is the same day I died." Ryan stated causing the trio's eyes to widen before Ruby started "But you're still here, then how...?"

Ryan sighed before explaining "You girls know how I have access to soul magic right?" at his teammates' nods he continued "Well one of the most powerful traits I have access to is the trait of Determination, it is the most well rounded of both the offensive and defensive traits. But it's most unique abilities are SAVE, LOAD and RESET."

"What like a video game?" Yang asked.

"Actually yes, exactly like a video game. Only someone with the most Determination can use these; SAVE can grant the user the ability to save at certain points or areas in their life which leads into LOAD. LOAD allows the user to go back to their last Save, undoing anything done after the Save but allowing the user to retain all memories of events after the Save despite them either not happening yet or never happening at all."

Ruby, Blake and Yang all looked at each other before Ryan continued "Then there's the most powerful of the three abilities, RESET. Think of it as an even more powerful LOAD but instead of reloading back to a point in time it 'resets' the user's entire adventure back to their starting point, for me it would be when me and Exetior first came to Remnant, a week before initiation."

"Then how did you come back from the dead then?" Blake asked before Ryan speculated "Most likely I initiated a pseudo-reload when Cinder killed me, bringing me back in near perfect condition until I removed Cinder's arrow from my chest, then I was in perfect condition, even regenerated my eyes to boot."

"So death is more of a slap on the wrist for you then?" Blake realised, causing Ryan to nod in confirmation "Yeah but the dying part is... Haunting. How Cinder killed me was unfortunately not instant, I could feel my entire body being cooked before I finally died." Ryan shook his head before responding "That is most likely what instigated these nightmares in the first place, so if I do end up dead again, I'll pray that it's instant next time."

Everyone was silent before Ryan lied back down and spoke "If this happens again, get Exetior and Goodwitch, hopefully they can figure out why I'm having these nightmares."

Yang, Blake and Ruby all nodded before they went back to sleep but Ryan stayed awake to engage in an unspoken conversation with Nyx.

_"While the nightmares ain't new, this one was."_

_"Do you believe him?"_ Nyx asked.

 _"At this point I don't know what to believe Nyx. For all I know, he may actually be me but it's best I don't let it get to me."_ Ryan answered before asking _"Could you supress my emotions for tonight so I can get some sleep?"_

 _"Of course Ryan."_ Ryan closed his eyes as he fell asleep.

* * *

[[Data Entry 68:

Name: Ryan Wilson (Demonic Enhancement)

Species: Faunus: Fox (Demonized)

Age: 18

Universe Of Origin: Demonic Justice Remnant (Corrupt Timeline)

Living proof of Multiverse Theory, this iteration of Ryan only matches Ryan Prime in name at this point, his malice causing the Glynda and Salem of his timeline to unite against him and only lasting so long due to him toying with them.

Semblance(s): Kinetic Battery, Soul Link

Weapon(s): Read Data Entries 1 and 2 for information.

]]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To quote DBZA's version of Vegeta; I'M BACK BITCHES! But in all seriousness though this will be a sort of prologue to commence this.  
> To explain this new Ryan, he comes from an alternate timeline where he effectively became no different from Sark after he came back from the dead (read: Remember when Hate nearly took control of him in Futile Determination (Part 4), only this time it succeeded) and slaughtered everyone in sight, Exetior and his original self's friends being the first, warranting Glynda to seek Salem's help in taking him down, he used Hate to gain Exetior's full abilities as a Demon along with his Semblance while also turning Nyx into a puppet so he could use every ability the Geist gave Ryan Prime for himself.


	2. Chapter 2: Restored Destruction

Morning came as Ryan stood on the stage of the amphitheatre, Fenrir on the opposite side while Glynda spoke to the class.

"Today you will all learn a skill every huntsmen will depend on the most, adaptability. To demonstrate, Mr Wilson will be engaging in a sparring round with Fenrir."

Ryan nodded as he explained with a smile "Fenrir found out his Semblance during the Battle of Beacon, it effectively allows him to mimic _other_ Semblances, like Blake's shadow clones or my Kinetic Battery. His fighting style is reliant on his design as well, meaning I can't copy it with my eyes. In short I will have to rely on my own skills and wits if I want to come out on top in this match."

[[song: At Long Last - Ray Casarez]]

Ryan drew Fury as his Semblance kicked in, wreathing the blade in blue energy while he activated his Sharingan and Rinnegan. Fenrir responded in kind by closing his visor and drawing Voidsplitter, revving it's teeth.

"I don't expect you to hold back too much Ryan." Fenrir stated, causing Ryan to smirk as he responded "I don't expect you to hold back much either."

"And begin!"

At Glynda's signal, Fenrir leapt towards Ryan as he swung Voidsplitter over his head, the Fox Faunus blocking the swing before the android forced Fury downwards, causing Ryan to stumble as Fenrir fired a metal slug at his feet. Ryan let go of Fury as he jumped out of the way, flipping in the air before landing back on his feet and manifesting what looked like to be a hybrid of a shortsword and shotgun out of hard light.

"Interesting." Fenrir started "You replaced Fury with a Redeemer in response. Combat situation evolving."

Ryan smirked as he lunged at Fenrir with a overhead slash that the android hopped backwards to avoid, causing Ryan to smile as he followed up with a blast from the Redeemer only for Fenrir to shatter like glass on impact, Ryan's eyes widening before narrowing with obvious annoyance.

_"Neo's Semblance, of course."_

Ryan didn't have enough time to continue his thoughts as he felt a slash across his back from Voidsplitter causing him to turn as he shot at Fenrir again before jumping over a horizontal slash and using his own Semblance to put some distance between himself and his creation.

Ryan grinned as he grabbed Fury and got rid of his Redeemer before speaking "Clever little trick Fenrir." Ryan then went into his main stance again as he finished "But you better try harder than that!"

"That's the idea." Fenrir responded before a yellow glyph formed beneath him as the android absorbed it, causing his frame to emit yellow sparks before he lunged at Ryan with even greater speed while spinning Voidsplitter around himself, turning Fenrir into a sentient sawblade.

_"Weiss's Semblance, okay then."_

Ryan proceeded to block Fenrir with Fury, the force of his attack pushing Ryan backwards before the spinning forced Fury downwards again. Fenrir took advantage of this as he unleashed a vicious upwards slash that sent Ryan into the air before Fenrir proceeded to use Ryan's own Semblance to push forward, slashing at the Fox Faunus from all sides with both his claws and Voidsplitter before preparing one last slash while only giving Ryan enough time to think of one response.

_"Oh fuck."_

[[song end]]

Before being spiked back to the floor of the stage, cracking it as Fenrir landed back on the ground. Ryan groaned as he stood back up, his Aura nearly in the red, before speaking.

"Not... Bad..." Fenrir turned towards him before a smile graced Ryan's lips "But... I ain't done yet. Grimm Link Mode."

A black dome formed around Ryan before revealing him in his black armour from the Battle of Beacon, his skin now deathly white lined with black veins while a third eye appeared on his forehead. His hair and tails became black while Beowolf skulls formed on the ends of all nine tails as bony spines lined the rear of each tail. Black markings lined his original eyes while his fox ears were tipped with blue instead of their natural red.

[[song: Alive 2019 - Brandon Yates]]

"Interesting." Fenrir started while everyone else aside from Exetior, Amber and Neo gaped at the new look "So this is the form you attained to defeat Cinder then?"

Ryan simply smirked as he turned Fury into a white scimitar and returned to his original stance while Fenrir lowered his body before Ryan vanished as Fenrir blocked a swing from behind him while Ryan's Sharingan and Rinnegan deactivated, revealing dark grey irises that proceeded to shift to dark blue.

Fenrir noticed he was now the same colour before being tossed away from Ryan, the wolfen android retaliated by firing a few metal slugs towards the Faunus. Ryan's eyes shifted to a deep purple as orbs of a similar colour formed and cancelled out the slugs.

 _"Integrity and Perseverance."_ Fenrir realised before Ryan's left eye turned red while his right eye turned green. Fenrir lunged at Ryan with Voidsplitter, only for Ryan to create a green dome to block the attack before aiming his free hand towards the wolfen android, a red glow emanating before a bright beam struck Fenrir dead on, sending the android onto his back while Ryan's eyes returned to their original dark grey as he smiled and spoke.

"Grimm Link Mode's a godsend ain't it Fenrir? Not only does it allow me and Nyx to fight as a single, cohesive unit, but it also enhances my magical prowess by a multiplier of 10, effectively giving me Hate's benefits with no risk of losing control of myself."

Fenrir righted himself as Ryan's eyes shifted rapidly between orange and light blue, almost too quickly for Fenrir, key word being _almost_.

Ryan lunged at Fenrir as Fury turned orange before he swung at Fenrir, only for the android to move against the swing, phasing through the attack unscathed. Fury turned light blue as Ryan swung back while Fenrir stayed still. After multiple swings, Fenrir's optics turned red before he fired a metal slug, enhanced by magic that sent Ryan flying before he righted himself with his tails.

"Great timing Fenrir." Ryan stated before getting onto all fours, his eyes turning yellow while the skulls on his tails opened revealing similarly coloured orbs as Ryan finished his sentence "Let's see how much you can take."

The yellow orbs all fired towards Fenrir as the android's optics turned green before a green dome formed to defend against the barrage of magic bolts.

Fenrir strained before seeing the dome beginning to crack under the onslaught. Straining, Fenrir's optics shifted to purple as the yellow bolts were countered by purple bolts until Fenrir stuck Voidsplitter into the ground, a red field spreading from the weapon across the entire stage.

Ryan's eyes widened in realisation before he stopped the barrage and leapt into the air, his tails aiming downwards as a red orb formed in each skull's mouth. Ryan fired the orbs to shield against the wave of energy coming from below until it faded away, allowing Ryan to return to the floor as he and Fenrir looked at one another.

[[song end]]

Silence permeated the area before Ryan smiled and reverted back to base form as he spoke "That was a sneaky move, using My Special Hell on me."

Fenrir huffed as he placed Voidsplitter on it's mount and responded "If only to keep you from defeating me."

Ryan chuckled as he sheathed Fury before turning to the rest of the class "As you saw, both me and Fenrir had shown cases of adaptation in our match; I replaced Fury with a Redeemer when I lost it, Fenrir utilised the Semblances of Neo, Weiss, and myself to deal heavy damage, and we both used soul magic to keep the other from gaining an advantage."

Glynda nodded before she spoke "Indeed, each of you when on missions will need to adapt to the situation. Whether that would be more dangerous Grimm, being separated from your team or losing your weapon."

Ryan saw Ruby tighten her grip on Crescent Rose as Glynda spoke.

"The next demonstration will be-"

* * *

Teams RRWBY (sans Weiss) JNPER, Amber and Fenrir left the amphitheatre once the session was done before Ryan spoke.

"All in all, that session was pretty good." Everyone nodded before Ryan added "A highlight was Exetior and Neo's match."

"Yeah, real fun getting the metaphorical shit kicked out of me by someone smaller than Ruby." Exetior snarked as Amber chuckled before speaking "I didn't even know Fenrir could use soul magic."

Fenrir turned his head to the rest of the group "I was simply curious to if I could utilize soul magic so I enlisted into my creator's classes to satiate my curiosity."

Ryan nodded before Jaune asked "How did you dodge Ryan's swings then?"

"I can answer that." Ryan started "Standard Bravery and Patience attacks have a unique attribute in that Bravery attacks won't hurt you as long as you're moving while Patience attacks don't harm those who aren't moving. I circumvented this mostly by mimicking an attack pattern from another weapon user, albeit much faster but Fenrir could react quick enough to avoid the attack and retaliate against it."

"Then what about that huge attack he did at the end?" Ruby asked.

"To be fair I didn't know Fenrir could do _that_ but that was a Determination attack called 'My Special Hell'. It has the user stab their Determination infused weapon into the ground causing a red field to appear, if I didn't react quick enough, I would have had taken severe damage from it but strong enough attacks can shield you against it."

"Wait so others have used it!?" Nora asked with her usual excitement, causing Ryan to smile as he responded "Yep. A human known as Chara Dreemurr was the very first user of the attack but he was corrupted by Hate at the time."

"Hate?" Pyrrha asked.

"Hate is unique in the fact that it isn't a trait but can be developed in anyone, sufficient feelings of hate can collect and become physical." Ryan manifested a black tar-like substance from one of his hands to show his companions "Hate also can become sentient at the same time... but it is incredibly dangerous when that happens as it desires nothing more than death and destruction unless tamed, at which point it becomes Animosity, effectively removing it's downsides while retaining the benefits."

"And those benefits are?" Yang asked.

"A maximum soul magic boost of ten times it's user's base level, the ability to create tendrils and even weapons out of the substance, and for Determination users, access to the 'FILE 0' ability."

"FILE 0?"

"Oh FILE 0 is an ability that allows the user to alter their physical and magical prowess freely, I ain't gonna use it cause it takes the fun out of any battle if I don't have the possibility of losing."

"Considering your win/loss record I doubt it would make much of a difference anyway." Fenrir stated, Ryan's expression flattening as he extended a sole finger towards the android in response before he spoke "Fenrir's smartass comment aside, what is our next order of business everyone?"

As if to answer the Faunus' question, Ryan's scroll buzzed loudly, causing Ryan to pull it out without missing a beat as he read the message he received to the rest of the group.

"Huh, it seems Goodwitch has a task for me, Exetior and Fenrir."

Exetior raised an eyebrow before asking "What is the task?"

"She said she'll explain when we get to the office."

The rest of the group looked at each other before Ruby turned back to the trio with a smile as she spoke "See you guys later then."

Ryan nodded as he, Exetior and Fenrir began walking to Glynda's office.

* * *

The trio of Faunus, Demon and android all reached the door of Glynda's office before Ryan knocked on the door.

"Come in."

Ryan opened the door as he, Exetior and Fenrir all stood before Glynda as Ryan asked "What is the job you need us for, Headmistress?"

Glynda smiled as she responded "Actually I have two tasks, one for Exetior and Fenrir, and a separate task for you. Fenrir and Exetior will be assisting Qrow in retrieving a person of interest, Oscar Pine, from Mistral." Glynda handed Exetior Ozpin's cane, eliciting a question from the demon "Why is Ozpin's cane needed?"

"You'll find out soon enough." Glynda simply stated before turning back to Ryan "You will be on bodyguard duty for a gala hosted by the SDC as a charity for the repairs for Vale and Beacon."

Ryan smiled as he jokingly guessed "Something tells me a certain heiress had a hand in that."

Glynda smiled as she responded "We have no confirmation on why you have been hired for this but I can be certain you will accept?"

Ryan nodded before stating "I will need to ask Ruby, Yang and Blake to feed Monty, and have Emerald and Mercury to keep watch on Amber."

"Are you sure it's wise to have two of Amber's attackers guard her?" Exetior asked with a frown.

"When they served Cinder, it was either that or die along with some misplaced loyalty, under my command they have more respect as they know I won't kill them if they fail in the task given at worse or as unlikely as it would be at best, half-ass it. I can count on them to keep an eye on Amber while I'm gone."

Exetior begrudgingly accepted the answer as Ryan turned back to Glynda "You can count on us Goodwitch."

Glynda nodded before speaking "You will need some better attire for your trip to Atlas tomorrow though, Ryan."

* * *

A day had passed as Exetior checked the supplies for both his and Fenrir's mission as well as Ryan's while Qrow waited on a bullhead set for Mistral while Ryan had a last minute talk with his teammates.

"Okay, so I keep a large supply of different chocolates refrigerated for Monty when he gets hungry, mostly milk and dark chocolate."

"Yes, we'll feed him some when he gets loud." Yang stated as she rolled her eyes, Ryan smiling as Ruby spoke "If you see Weiss, tell her we said hi."

"Don't worry Ruby, I will." Ryan answered with a grin before Exetior called out "You ready Ryan?"

"Yeah I'm coming!" Ryan responded before turning to the former criminals next to his teammates "Emerald, Mercury, keep an eye on Amber just in case something comes up while I'm gone ok?"

"Got it." Mercury and Emerald responded in sync before Ryan nodded and walked onto his bullhead, prepared for a course to Atlas.

"All ready?" The pilot asked as Ryan responded "Go ahead."

The engines began rumbling as Ryan strapped himself in before the bullhead took off for it's destination.

 _"Hope you haven't gotten rusty since going back Weiss."_ Ryan thought with a smile as he put his headphones on and played some music to kill some time.

[[Data Entry 69:

Name: HATE

User: Ryan Wilson

'Fear leads to Anger. Anger leads to Hate. Hate leads to Suffering' A malicious substance that can aid and destroy it's user simultaneously.

]]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS I LAY DORMANT! WHO HAS DISTURBED MY- Oh right my work. The gap between chapters will be significantly longer due to further diverging from canon than Demonic Justice did, meaning more time needed to write each chapter, along with your typical cases of procrastination and outright laziness. Hey I'm only human after all.


	3. Chapter 3: Grim Hope

A few hours passed as Ryan and Nyx saw nothing but snow, confirming they were now at the continent of Solitas with Atlas, and by extension the Schnee Manor only a short distance away.

Ryan smiled as he pulled out his scroll and dialled for Weiss as he got a signal. Ryan listened to the ringing before a familiar voice came out.

"So you're nearly here?" Weiss asked, causing Ryan to chuckle before he responded "What no 'Nice to hear you Ryan.', no 'How are you?', just straight to 'So you're nearly here?'."

"Well are you?"

"Yes, I'm nearly at the Schnee Manor as we speak Weiss."

"Good, I'll be at the entrance to greet you Ryan."

Ryan smiled before stating "I'll prepare something if anyone else is going to be with you."

Ryan ended the call before turning to Nyx "Let's surprise them."

Nyx smirked as he returned to Unity's arm as Ryan spoke "Grimm Link Mode."

* * *

Weiss put her scroll away with a smile as she pulled out the stress ball Ryan gave to her and looked at it thoughtfully before an unwelcome voice spoke.

"You seem oddly cheerful sister, why?"

Weiss turned around to see a young man who had white hair and blue eyes while having a similar complexion to her, wearing a blue vest over a white dress shirt.

"The reason for my good mood is none of your concern, Whitley."

The smug look on Whitley's face turned into one of annoyance as he responded "Then who was that you were talking to on your scroll?"

Weiss put the stress ball away before answering "Just to the recommendation I made to father who will be here soon."

"You never told us how you two met though." Whitley pointed out.

Weiss smiled as she put out an outstretched hand "He serves as a teacher for Beacon's newly made soul magic classes,-" a glowing orb that alternated between light blue and dark blue manifested in Weiss' hand, causing Whitley's eyes to widen at the sight before Weiss continued "- he also can mimic fighting styles of other huntsmen and huntresses, including myself and my team back at Beacon, as well as create hard light copies of any weapon from his own memories."

"All that talent wasted as a teacher." Whitley stated.

"Oh no, outside of the classes, he's a student of Beacon like anyone else, in fact he's one of my teammates."

Whitley's eyes narrowed as he spoke "That explains why you recommended him."

It was Weiss' turn to be smug as she responded "Partially, I mean it when I say that he is qualified to do the task I recommended him for."

Whitley scowled before stating "Then I will accompany you in greeting him."

Weiss smirked as she and Whitley walked to the entrance of the manor.

* * *

A few minutes passed before Weiss and Whitney saw a bullhead start to land near the manor.

"That would be him right now." Weiss stated with a smile before the back door of the bullhead opened revealing darkness and causing a chill to crawl up Whitley's spine as three eyes pierced through the darkness.

[[song: Haunted Foes - Christopher Larkin]]

The owner of the eyes walked out into the light revealing an armoured being garbed in black armour with nine tails of a similar colour with Beowolf skulls on the ends trailing behind them. The eyes of the being were the only things visible on the being's face as they wore a helmet not dissimilar to a Nevermore or a Geist over it. The being slowly walked towards Weiss who held a stoic expression the entire time before the pair stared at each other in silence.

[[song end]]

A short amount of time passed before Weiss smiled, confusing Whitley before his sister spoke.

"You can speak you know."

The being hmphed before putting their hands on their helmet and removed it from their head, revealing a young man in his late teens with deathly white skin and black markings around his eyes. From his head were a pair of fox ears tipped blue while he had a third eye in his forehead as he smiled and spoke "Oh come on Weiss, let me have some fun at least."

Weiss rolled her eyes as she responded "What was beating Cardin senseless repeatedly not enough?"

Ryan smirked as he reverted to his base form "While that is always enjoyable, at some point, even that would get stale."

Ryan's fox ears twitched as he finally noticed Whitley before asking Weiss "Who is that, your valet?"

Whitley's eye twitched as Weiss snickered before answering "Close but no, that's actually my brother, Whitley."

Ryan nodded at the info before Whitley spoke out "To think an animal would be so skilled at hunting."

Ryan turned to Whitley with a smirk "If that was supposed to be insulting, I really don't mind being called that, actually I consider that a complement rather than an insult."

"Fits given your eating habits." Weiss playfully snarked, causing Ryan to laugh as he stated overdramatically "Oh my wit has rubbed off on you, I'm so proud of you Weiss!"

Weiss rolled her eyes before a dark mass left Ryan's right arm before forming into Nyx, startling Whitley as Weiss greeted the Grimm.

"Hello to you as well Nyx."

Nyx quickly wrapped his arms around himself as he shivered while responding "N-nice to s-see you too, W-Weiss."

Nyx turned to Ryan as he asked "N-now can we go inside? I'm used to S-Sanus' climate, n-not Solitas'."

Ryan chuckled as he turned to Weiss for confirmation, the heiress nodding in response.

* * *

A few hours passed as Ryan and Nyx waited in a spare room in the Schnee manor, Ryan placing the wrappings on his arms while Nyx was drinking some warm coffee to remove the chill from prior.

"I don't know what you were complaining about Nyx, it wasn't _that_ bad." Ryan stated as he picked up Fury.

"Easy for you to say, your Semblance allows you to become a living radiator in Solitas' cold." Nyx griped before placing the cup down and standing up.

Ryan rolled his eyes before the pair heard a knock on the door, causing Ryan to open it to reveal Whitley in a fancier getup compared to how he looked when they first met him.

"It's time to go." Whitley stated simply.

Ryan shrugged as he and Nyx followed Whitley out of their room to the bullhead to Atlas awaiting the trio before Whitley turned to Ryan and spoke "You've made a name for yourself across Remnant, Grimm Knight."

Ryan raised an eyebrow at the moniker before asking "Grimm Knight?"

Whitley nodded "Yes, your actions during the Battle of Beacon caused a few reporters to record the face off between you and that mystery woman near the end."

"Wait people managed to record my fight with Cinder? Huh. Well when was the footage recorded then?" Ryan asked.

"At the start, a bonfire turned black before revealing you as you pulled an arrow out of your chest."

Ryan smirked as he explained "So from my resurrection onwards then."

"Resurrection?"

This time it was Nyx's turn to speak "You head him right, the first portion which wasn't recorded ended with Ryan getting his eyes slashed out before getting shot with that aforementioned arrow and turned into that inferno."

Whitley blinked before Ryan simply stated "We don't have the time to explain it."

Ryan turned to Nyx and asked the Grimm "I wonder how Fenrir and Exetior are doing, cause by now they should be at Mistral with Qrow."

"I'm sure they're doing fine Ryan." with Nyx's reassurance, the three walked to the bullhead in silence.

* * *

[[Data Entry 70:

Name: Whitley Schnee

Species: Human

Age: 15

Universe Of Origin: Remnant

Youngest out of the Schnee siblings, Whitley favours being on Jacques' good side rather than follow the paths of his sisters.

Semblance: None (Aura not unlocked)

Weapon(s): None

]]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, Ryan's gotten that well known he has a moniker across Remnant. Next chapter will revolve around Fenrir and Exetior.  
> [[AN: Forgot to add Whitley's data entry to the chapter, also he's 15 for this work.]]


	4. Chapter 4: Chilling Pyre (Part 1)

"I'm just saying Qrow, try using your Semblance to your favour by doing actions that are counterintuitive to your plans, that way you can actually benefit from it more times than not."

Qrow huffed before responding to Exetior's statement "You don't think I've tried that, my Semblance somehow knew what I was trying to do and _didn't_ work."

Exetior frowned as he, Qrow and Fenrir were waiting at a bar in Mistral for Oscar before Fenrir asked "Explain to me why we are waiting for this Oscar Pine in a bar?"

Exetior proceeded to answer in Qrow's stead "It's Qrow. In the few times we've been in his company he is always drunk, so it makes sense why he picked a bar for this."

Exetior and Fenrir looked at Qrow who simply swigged a glass of lager before Exetior got off his stool and spoke.

"I'll head out into the forest for some fresh air, call me if Oscar gets here while I'm gone Fenrir."

"Affirmative."

Exetior proceeded to walk out of the bar as he stretched his body before commencing his stroll.

* * *

An hour passed as Fenrir walked through the forest before he heard a voice.

"What do you think of the news?"

Exetior stopped walking before turning to the direction of the voice to see a pair of men talking as other people were moving an assortment of valuables onto a large truck.

"Tch what makes you think that it's true." one man responded to the other "There is no such thing as a Grimm knight, just some no good Huntsman trying to make a name for himself."

 _"Grimm knight, they must be talking about Ryan."_ Exetior thought to himself with a frown before the man spoke again "Anyway we best get going, the Chief won't be impressed if we're late."

Exetior frowned before beginning to walk towards the group, Fallen Grace drawn as the men noticed the demon walk towards them.

Exetior smiled as everyone aimed their weapons at him before he spoke "Hmph I _dare_ you to fire those weapons and waste ammo on me, unless you're willing to take me to your so called chief that is."

The group all proceeded to fire their weapons at the demon, only for Soul Link's chains to parry and deflect each and every round before they could reach Exetior. Once everyone's weapons ran out of ammo, Soul Link's chains retracted back into Exetior's body as he calmly resumed walking towards the duo in front of him.

"Now then." Exetior started with a smirk before it shifted into a scowl "If you're done wasting all this time, I will repeat my request, take me to your chief."

The pair looked to each other wondering what Exetior is before turning back and nodding in mild fear.

* * *

Raven mulled over the rumours that were going around the camp about a Huntsman becoming a Grimm as well as what she herself saw prior to leaving Vale of Beacon Tower breaking in two. Before a familiar face came into her tent.

"Raven! There's an outsider brought here by the bandits we sent."

Raven raised an eyebrow at the statement before standing up and responding "Vernal, why did they bring them here instead of ending his life?"

Vernal responded quickly "From what they stated he defended himself with black chains until they ran out of ammo, then intimidated them into bringing him here."

Raven closed her eyes and sighed in annoyance before speaking "Very well then, let's see what business this person has with us."

Vernal nodded as she and Raven walked out of the tent to see Exetior waiting with his arms crossed.

Exetior examined the woman before him and noticed many uncanny similarities to Yang before he spoke "Quite a quaint little camp you set up madam."

Raven narrowed her eyes before asking "Who are you?"

Exetior smiled smugly before answering "I am Exetior, Member of Team JNPER of Beacon and partner to Ryan Wilson. And I can tell from your appearance that you have some relation to one of my partner's teammates, Yang Xiao Long I believe."

"Indeed." Raven started "Yang is my daughter, why do you ask?"

"I'm just simply wondering why you abandoned both her and her father without a word or even so much of a letter of explanation for why." Exetior explained with a frown.

"How would you know what I did?" Raven asked while narrowing her eyes.

"A combination of Demonic intuition with confirmation from my partner's foresight ability, **Raven.** "

Raven placed a hand on Omen's handle as she scowled "Nonetheless Yang and Taiyang were weak, I had no desire to remain with them so long as they were."

Exetior hmphed before smirking and breaking into laughter "Oh that's rich coming from someone like you. Talking of being strong when bandits like you lot are nothing but cowards that steal from the weak and defenceless." Exetior stopped laughing before drawing Fallen Grace with a scowl "While I regret my actions before meeting Ryan, _I_ at least did those actions myself _and_ my victims were capable of retaliating against me."

[[song: Plantera - RichaadEB]]

Exetior went into a combat stance before lunging at Raven who drew a crimson blade from her sheath to parry the demon's swing before she moved back and retaliated with a wave of flames, sending Exetior back as he analysed Raven's weapon and realised how it worked.

_"Her sheath produces a blade of Dust to use elemental attacks in combat, ingenious but that alone won't be enough to beat me."_

Exetior proceeded to activate the lightning Dust in Fallen Grace before unleashing a wave of electricity towards the leader of the Branwen Tribe who sheathed her sword and this time drew a yellow blade as she nullified the attack and dashed towards the demon who clashed his blade with hers, causing sparks to fly from their weapons as Exetior smirked before speaking.

"I can feel a familiar energy from your body, one that only one other person I know has as well, isn't that right **Maiden**?"

Raven's eyes widened before red flames came forth as she blasted the demon back with a gust of wind, forcing Exetior to right himself before a powerful fireball came his way. The demon managed to block the attack but not without Fallen Grace being knocked out of his grasp as it embedded into the ground behind him, causing him to growl as Soul Link's chains wrapped around his left arm before a glowing red sword formed in his right hand.

Raven didn't have time to look at the sword before Exetior lunged towards her and forced the Maiden into the defensive with an unrelenting barrage of strikes. The demon smirked before moving back while simultaneously grabbing some Gravity Dust crystals from his satchel and priming it with his Aura until he threw it towards Raven's feet, meanwhile Raven sheathed her blade and redrew the red blade from before and sent a combination of Dust-made fire and Magic-made wind towards Exetior. Both attacks connected as Soul Link's chains shattered and Exetior's aura weakened close enough to breaking while Raven was forcefully sent upwards by the Gravity Dust. Raven grit her teeth before sending a final blast of fire at the demon who retrieved some Ice Dust and tossed it towards the conflagration, causing it to detonate in a smoke screen. Exetior was too exhausted to react as a red blade pierced through the smoke and Exetior's heart, forcing his body back as the blade pinned him to the ground. Raven landed back on the ground, moderately drained in Aura and Omen without its blade, as she saw Exetior cough up blood as he weakly looked at her before slumping back, his eyes turning green and glazed as his body passed away.

[[song end]]

Raven hmphed before speaking "You made the wrong mistake to challenge me, Grimm."

Raven closed her eyes before a sound caused them to snap open as she saw the corpse of her foe turn black in places until wispy masses sprouted from them and detached. the wisps began to coalesce as they began to form a familiar figure with red eyes.

[[song: Dreams of Cruelty - Valve Studio Orchestra]]

"Impossible!?" Raven exclaimed as the figure removed his satchel from his vessel's corpse and retrieved Fallen Grace before turning towards the startled Maiden with a sinister smirk.

"I'm impressed Raven," Exetior started "-you managed to fight me toe to toe with me and come out on top, as well as end Sonic's life in the process." Exetior turned towards his vessel's body and closed his eyes "I will give him a proper burial for all I've put him through later, but first..."

The demon turned back towards Raven before opening his eyes revealing pitch black sclera with piercing red eyes as tears of blood poured from them "How about I have the home field advantage."

Exetior snapped his fingers, causing a giant crimson ring to form behind Raven who could only look at it for a moment before Exetior shoulder tackled the both of them into it as they and the ring vanished without a trace, leaving Vernal and the rest of the tribe to gawk in silence.

[[song end]]

* * *

[[Data Entry 71:

Name: Raven Branwen

Species: Human

Age: 39

Universe Of Origin: Remnant

Leader of the Branwen Tribe, sister to Qrow Branwen, biological mother to Yang Xiao Long and the current Spring Maiden, Raven harbours a 'Survival of the Fittest' mentality unlike her brother.

Semblance: Kindred Link

Weapon(s): Omen (Weapon of Choice), Spring Maiden's Magic

]]

[[Data Entry 72:

Name: Full Demon Exetior

Exetior's true state when without a host, lack of physical matter hampers his ability to utilise Determination safely but has far more access to his demonic abilities.

Weapon(s): Crimson Rings, Illusionary Manipulation, Spatial Movement

]]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yep it's gonna be a multi-parter again. Also due to Exetior losing Sonic, he will be very limited with his Determination abilities unless he risks melting.


	5. Chapter 5: Chilling Pyre (Part 2)

Ashes.

Ashes flowed across what was formerly the jungle that took up most of Angel Island, 5 months since the demise and demonization of Tails, Knuckles and Eggman, 5 months since Exetior disappeared for Remnant as a giant crimson ring appeared before Raven flew out while righting herself as she examined her surroundings briefly as the demon that brought her here exited the very same ring and landed gracefully on his feet while examining the wasteland that he incidentally caused in his hunt for Tails.

"Where are we?" Raven asked as Exetior picked up a charred branch before it crumbled away while he started.

"We are on Mobius, specifically Angel Island after my first kill." Exetior turned to face the Spring Maiden "You see Raven, I had formerly been part of a collective of beings that created, erased and recreated Mobius countless times, if I was even close to my original power I would eclipse that of Remnant's Brother Gods as we created many worlds, Mobius just so happened to be our primary focus for eons, the only real opposition was our polar opposites and what I now am, Demons."

Raven's eyes widened as she finally realised why Exetior brought her here before he spoke some more "While I am relieved that I can return here of my own volition courtesy of you, my duties are currently to assist Remnant in any way I can, and fourteen chaotic methods reside in this very island: two sets of seven perfectly hewn emeralds of extreme power reside in an ancient palace, while most Remartians like yourself and your daughter wouldn't be able to use them, one Faunus has the potential to tap into these emeralds due to being chaotic himself."

Exetior's eyes dilated for a moment before he spoke again "Before we retrieve these gems I will need to alleviate the concerns of my subordinates."

Exetior closed his eyes as he extended his mind across Mobius, specifically to two of his most loyal allies.

_"Negagen, Pervision. Do you hear me?"_

Exetior outwardly smiled as he heard two familiar voices.

_"Master?" "Sir?"_

_"It has been a long time since I heard your voices again you two."_

_"Where are you now Master?"_ Negagen asked.

_"I am currently at Angel Island on an important task that requires the emeralds, both sets."_

_"But sir, the Super Emeralds are inert, we saw them ourselves."_ Pervision pointed out causing Exetior to chuckle.

_"True but I will be taking them out of Mobius' picture and somewhere else."_

_"Somewhere else?"_ Negagen and Pervision simultaneously asked.

_"A world separate from Mobius and out of the Highest's reach, Remnant. I spent many months there fighting to protect mortals from beasts of all types and realised we were approaching our war incorrectly."_

Exetior could feel the uncertainty from Negagen and Pervision before he spoke again.

_"I trust that nothing has happened yet while I was gone?"_

Negagen perked up _"No Master, Your demonised thralls have killed some time within your domain via the doctor's machines but nothing significant, we have also kept tabs on Amy, Sally and Cream from afar but did not push._

_"Perfect. Negagen, I request that you travel to their locations and explain the situation, do not harm the girls under any circumstances. Pervision, you will explain our situation to Tails, Knuckles and the Doctor while keeping Sark and his thralls in the darkness, I don't want him fucking up my plans for his own sick depravity."_

_"Of course." "As you wish."_

As his connection ended, he closed his eyes before turning to Raven and creating a second ring "This ring will take us to the Emerald Shrine and allow us to retrieve the emeralds with minimal issue." Exetior gestured to the crimson ring with an arm before he and Raven walked into the sanguine gateway.

* * *

[[song: Hidden Palace Zone - Ready Player Piano]]

A cold yet calming wind blew across the Hidden Palace, long since abandoned due to its literal crowning jewels, the Super Emeralds, being inert with no method of restoration for them as Exetior and Raven walked up to said emeralds.

"These emeralds held great potential as they could allow someone to become damn near unstoppable, for a short period at least Raven." Exetior spoke as he and the Spring Maiden walked towards them.

"Then what happened?" Raven asked as Exetior picked up a smaller set of multicoloured gems from the ground.

"My former vessel and the hedgehog you killed back at Remnant is responsible. Sonic had to tap into the full strength of his Hyper transformation in order to not only put a stop to Ivo's second Death Egg but also to return the Master Emerald to its place in this shrine."

Raven and Exetior turned to see a solitary gemstone of a deep green perched above the inert Super Emeralds as the demon continued "That didn't come without a price, the Super Emeralds lost their power from overuse and became nothing more than grey ornaments collecting dust."

Exetior smiled as he finished his statement "Until now."

Red eyes turned blue as Exetior lifted the Chaos and Super Emeralds without any effort before explaining to the stunned Maiden "Rudimentary Integrity magic, while not as strong as a natural user of it like my partner, he taught me how to to tap into other types despite that, he's even thinking of teaching the rest of both our teams if only to stop Ruby and Nora from bugging him into teaching them."

Exetior created a set of seven crimson rings before sending the Chaos Emeralds through one of them with minimal issue, only when he attempted to do the same with the Super Emeralds did problems occur. The seven inactive gems wouldn't go through the rings despite being able to fit through them, causing the demon to frown.

"I was afraid of this." Exetior griped before an idea popped into existence "But maybe..."

One of the demon's eyes turned a richer red than normal as red magic coated the emeralds before Exetior tried again in sending them through. Exetior beamed as the emeralds went through properly before a flash of pain jolted through his body from his right arm, forcing the rings to dissipate as he clutched his arm while Raven looked on in confusion.

"That... Was unexpected." Exetior started before he felt a wetness on his hand, causing him to remove the hand and his eyes to widen in shock at the sight.

Most of his forearm had melted, revealing bone as he could even see the floor through the gaps, Raven saw the injuries and was similarly shocked before the demon spoke.

"It seems Sonic's death had more effects on my being than I thought, perhaps Ryan could shed some light on my current condition when we return to each other's company." Exetior proceeded to turn to Raven "When we return, I will need to keep this covered until that point."

At Raven's nod, Exetior opened another crimson ring for the pair to enter to return to Remnant.

[[song end]]

* * *

Almost half an hour passed since Exetior and Raven's departure before a set of seven crimson rings similar to the one the pair left in manifested out of thin air as giant grey and cracked gems exited each ring before landing on the ground, followed by seven smaller gems exited a single ring as well as Exetior and Raven, black chains wrapped around the demon's right arm for no discernible reason.

Every member of the tribe stared at the returning pair before Vernal snapped out of her distracted state to walk towards them.

"R-Raven, are you...?"

Raven raised a hand in a placating manner "To answer your question Vernal, yes I'm fine, Exetior explained why he took us to his domain of sorts, it seems he has his own war to fight."

"Indeed..." Exetior confirmed before counting each emerald and nodding "Perfect. Now to reduce the effort of returning to Fenrir and Qrow."

Exetior quickly picked up one of the small gems and called out "Chaos Control!"

A white light surrounded the demon, the gems and Sonic's corpse before vanishing into thin air, surprising most of the tribe as Vernal spoke out.

"R-Raven?"

"Yes?" Raven responded

"I don't believe he's a Grimm."

Raven closed her eyes and sighed in resigned annoyance before wordlessly returning to her tent.

_"Perhaps my brother had the right idea about drinking."_

* * *

"Achoo!"

Qrow sneezed, garnering the attention of Fenrir and Oscar from their conversation before they turned back to each other as Oscar continued.

"Ozpin told me a lot about the Huntsman who built you."

"In-Training." Fenrir corrected, causing Oscar's eyes to widen in surprise.

"He's in training? But how did-?"

"Ryan took inspiration from a student of Atlas, known by my creator's team, his partner's team and myself as Penny Polendina. After he learnt of Penny's nature as an artificial lifeform with a soul, he was motivated into following suit with her father and constructed my body and supplied a copy of his own soul to grant me the capacity of feeling emotions, such as rage at one of the White Fang's leaders, Adam Taurus, comparing me to the stock AK models and the Paladins." Fenrir explained causing Qrow to choke on his 7th glass at the last bit of info.

"When did that happen!?" Qrow asked in shock before Fenrir answered.

"I fought Adam during the Battle of Beacon and barely came out on top, suffering heavy structural damage while Adam lost an arm by Voidsplitter."

Oscar and Qrow turned to each other, both of them shocked by the answer before Oscar's expression changed to a somewhat more mature look, Fenrir realised that Ozpin was in control now.

"Fenrir, where is Mr Wilson and Exetior anyway?" Ozpin asked.

"My creator is serving as bodyguard at a gala in Atlas hosted by the SDC courtesy of Miss Schnee while Exetior went for a walk a few hours prior to your arrival Ozpin."

"He's been gone for a while though," Qrow pointed out "- he might have been dealing with some problems since he isn't back."

"Trust me Qrow, Exetior is more than capable of-"

Fenrir's words were cut off as he, Qrow and Ozpin heard a strange noise from outside. The trio left the bar to see Exetior, who was holding a body on his left shoulder, among a multitude of gems, the larger of them all being grey and cracked.

"Exetior?" Fenrir spoke out gaining the demon's attention who turned with a small smile as he responded.

"Fenrir, Qrow. Nice to see you two, mind lending me a hand?" Exetior raised his right arm revealing the damage to the android and Huntsman, causing Qrow to pale in disgust while Fenrir quickly moved towards his creator's partner to examine the damage.

"What caused this? You shouldn't be melting like this!" Fenrir spoke with noticeable concern in his voice.

"Probably has to do with my vessel's death." Exetior pointed towards the body he was carrying, causing Fenrir to realise who it was before Qrow and Ozpin came over as the former headmaster saw the injury himself before asking.

"What caused this Exetior?"

Exetior was surprised at how this teenager knew his name and how formal he was acting before realising who this really was.

"Well Ozpin, I was walking through the forest waiting for you and who I can only assume is your host Oscar, when I heard a couple of bandits most likely talking about my partner."

"Bandits?" Qrow repeated before scowling "Don't tell me."

"That's right Qrow, I ended up encountering your sister and engaged in a fight."

"Why was that?" Fenrir asked, causing Exetior to smirk.

"You recall Amber's ''Gift'' correct?" Everyone nodded before they realised what the demon was implying.

"You're shitting me?" Qrow responded flatly.

"Nope, your bitch of a sister is one of the Maidens somehow." Exetior confirmed, causing the trio before him to look at each other before Ozpin turned back to the demon and asked.

"Then how did you defeat her then?"

"I didn't, the body I'm carrying is the corpse of my former vessel, Sonic, who died courtesy of Raven."

Qrow, Ozpin and Fenrir all went silent, Qrow in particular turned his head to the side with a scowl as he muttered 'Dammit Raven.'

"Nonetheless, I believe its best to give Sonic a burial, he deserves that much at the very least after what I put him and his companions through on Mobius."

At everyone's nod the group began to walk off, while Exetior thought to himself.

_"You better have an explanation for my problem Ryan."_

* * *

[[Data Entry 73:

Name: Chaos Emeralds

Universe Of Origin: Mobius

A set of seven multicoloured gemstones, capable of allowing a unique transformation when all seven are used.

]]

[[Data Entry 74:

Name: Super Emeralds

Universe Of Origin: Mobius

Individually, each Super Emerald is equal to 9 Chaos Emeralds, meaning the transformation in Data Entry 73 is available with one Super Emerald. A second transformation stage is available with all seven Super Emeralds.

]]

[[Data Entry 75:

Name: Oscar Pine

Species: Human

Age: 14

Universe Of Origin: Remnant

Formerly a farmhand residing in Mistral, Oscar is now the latest bearer of Ozpin's soul after the former headmaster's demise.

Semblance: Unknown

Weapon(s): The Long Memory (Weapon Of Choice)

]]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ominous but yes due to Exetior no longer having Sonic, he will share a weakness Undertale's own monsters have by way of melting to Determination.  
> [[Edit: Whoops, forgot to add an entry of Oscar]]


	6. Chapter 6: Dynamic Tranquillity

[Atlas 1 hour prior]

Ryan was developing a sense of unease as he and Nyx were standing guard, watching Weiss as she sang before Nyx noticed his host's expression.

"Ryan?" Nyx's question snapped Ryan out of his thoughts as the Faunus turned to Nyx, knowing what the question was.

"Nyx, do you ever get the feeling that something bad is gonna happen but you don't know where or what it is?"

Nyx raised an eyebrow in response as he spoke "Is this about Exetior?"

Ryan nodded as he responded "I know better than anyone that Exetior can keep himself from harm's way but still something doesn't feel right."

Nyx nodded as the pair turned to see Weiss wrap up her song while the rest of the audience applauded the heiress' performance.

[[song: Asgore The Fallen King - NyxTheShield]]

"Anything new happen at Beacon while I was gone?" Weiss asked as she, Ryan and Nyx were standing together near a painting of Beacon that was being auctioned to raise funds for Vale's recovery.

"Hmm. Not much..." Ryan started before realising "Oh yeah! Pyrrha and Jaune finally got together."

"Really?" Weiss asked in pleasant surprise before Nyx answered "While you're glad that they are together, you're mostly glad that Arc won't try to court you anymore, aren't you?"

Weiss spluttered in embarrassment as Ryan snickered before pulling a can of beer from Kamui's dimension, drawing Weiss and Nyx's attention to the nine tailed Faunus.

"Okay when and how in the Brothers did you get beer in Atlas?" Nyx asked with a combination of surprise and annoyance.

Ryan smirked as he opened the can before responding "I didn't. The night before we left Beacon for Atlas I found an intact store in Vale that sold Strongshot beer by the six-pack and then I went to buy a cooler to store it all in."

"The night before..." Nyx repeated before realising with incredulity "I was arm wrestling with Xiao Long and Valkyrie when you left, wasn't I!?"

"Got it in one, Nyx." Ryan confirmed before drinking from the can as Weiss rolled her eyes while Nyx grumbled in annoyance.

[[song end]]

The trio all turned to the painting as Weiss' expression turned wistful, which both Ryan and Nyx noticed before a young man with dull blue hair walked towards them, specifically Weiss.

"It's beautiful." The man started towards the painting before turning to Weiss "You two match."

Weiss crossed her arms while maintaining an expression Ryan and Nyx recalled was usually reserved to people who managed to annoy her quickly before responding.

"Yes, it's a lovely painting." Ryan smirked as he was reminded of Jaune and his attempts before thinking to himself.

_"Frankly Vomit Boy had better luck."_

"So, that was my attempt at breaking the ice." The man continued "How am I doing so far?"

Weiss sighed before responding "You are leaving a lot to be desired."

Ryan and Nyx nodded with a smirk as the man spoke again "Well, I've always appreciated honesty." A quick look with Fear magic proved that to be semi-true as the man introduced himself while offering his hand "Henry. Marigold."

Weiss turned towards Henry as she responded while lightly placing her fingers across his in a loose handshake "Weiss Schnee."

"I know, I saw your performance." Henry alongside Ryan and Nyx visibly cringed at that statement before Henry added "Obviously." Henry cleared his throat before trying to salvage the situation "You were wonderful. And I promise I'm not just saying that 'cause you're pretty."

Weiss, Ryan and Nyx wordlessly returned their attention to the painting of Beacon, leaving silence between the quartet before Henry spoke again.

"Honesty, remember? So, you thinking about buying it?" Henry gestured to the painting while he rattled the railing.

"No. I don't think so." Weiss answered truthfully, both Ryan and Nyx knowing that the Schnee heiress doesn't want another constant reminder of being taken back here by Jacques.

"Yeah, kinda pricey for a painting." Ryan and Nyx's eyes widened before the Faunus turned to Henry and spoke with mild annoyance "That's because it's meant to raise money."

"Oh really?" Henry asked in genuine surprise "For what?"

"For what?" Weiss repeated while throwing Henry a disgusted look.

Henry didn't notice as he continued "Heheh, I'll admit, I only come to these things for the food and drinks."

Henry reached out and took a champagne flute from a passing waiter as Ryan was reminded by that statement of how he was like back on Earth Prime at standard parties.

"And the extraordinary company. Of course." Henry added before sipping his drink, Ryan, Weiss and Nyx turned to face him.

"So what, is it another Mantle fundraiser or something?"

Ryan and Nyx scowled before Weiss spoke "Get. Out."

Henry laughed a bit before realising what the heiress said "What?"

"Get out, or I will have security escort you out." Weiss reiterated.

"Perfectly fine with us Weiss." Ryan stated darkly as he and Nyx glared at Henry with contempt.

"But I haven't done any-"

"Leave!" Weiss raised her voice while taking an aggressive stance, causing Henry to stare at her in disbelief before finally obeying.

"Pfft, whatever."

Once Henry was gone, Ryan sighed as he spoke "Is it bad if that asshole reminded me of how I was before Remnant?"

Weiss turned to the Faunus with a smile "It just shows how much you've changed since then."

Ryan nodded with a smile of his own before the trio returned their attention to the painting "You wanna know something crazy you two?"

"Sure." Nyx answered for both him and Weiss.

"Well among the many universes I am now certain exist thanks to coming to Remnant, there is a place that's linked to even more universes and realities as Earth Prime: A pantheon consisting of beings from all over the place: Gods, mortals, monsters, humans and aliens."

"Really!?" Weiss and Nyx asked in unified surprise.

"Yeah, they all hail from the prime versions of different universes and represent different aspects of media." Ryan explained before turning to Weiss "You and the rest of the team are part of said pantheon."

Weiss blinked in shock "So you're saying..."

"Those versions of you, Ruby, Blake and Yang all are goddesses in there, granted of the lower middle ranking."

"Ranking?" Nyx asked.

"Indeed, this pantheon has a ranking system based on how powerful the god in question is and is capable of reaching, Weiss and the others are all of the Lesser Rank with Yang's Semblance at full strength or if she's sufficiently pissed bumping her up to Intermediate Rank."

"Okay what are the ranks in this pantheon then?" Nyx continued

"I'll start from the lowest: Quasideities, these guys are the lowest rank and usually have the least authority and power, one exception is Wizard and Boomstick who as hosts of Death Battle have Greater Rank authority. The rank directly above are Demigods, they usually have power or influence greater than most humans on Earth Prime but not by much, one example is the sole representatives of the Worms video game and it's titular characters."

Weiss and Nyx nodded before Ryan continued.

"The middle ground for the ranks are Lesser and Intermediate: Lesser Deities are much more powerful than Demigods and I already told you two that Weiss and the rest of the team are all at this rank. Intermediate Deities are the next rank and can potentially level large cities and mountains with their power, a prime example is one of the House of Power's guards, Ryu. The next and second highest rank is Greater Rank, these guys could bench press planets and detonate stars," Weiss and Nyx's eyes widened at the statement "-two perfect examples are two of the House of Gaming's guards, Mario and Sonic the Hedgehog."

"Sonic, isn't Exetior possessing him?" Weiss asked

Ryan nodded before finishing "The final and highest rank is Overdeity status, these are capable of destroying entire universes with the effort of a quick nap, one of the dangerous examples is Zamasu, a member of the Trio of Endless Hatred."

Ryan turned to see Weiss and Nyx entirely speechless and gawking at the explanation before Nyx spoke "Huh so it pretty much is a hub of sorts then?"

"Yep."

"But really, does it come as any surprise, what happened to Vale?"

The trio's attention was diverted to the owner's voice, a blonde woman in a black dress.

"It was a long time coming if you ask me."

A man, most likely her husband, walked up to the woman and placed a hand on her shoulder and tried to quiet her down.

"Honey..."

The woman shook the hand off as she continued "What?" she laughed "You said the same thing last night. If they're so arrogant to think they can get by without proper kingdom defense, then I say good riddance."

Weiss was about to say something before Ryan placed a metal hand on her shoulder, causing her to turn to see Ryan shaking his head before smirking as he walked towards the woman.

"Excuse me?" Ryan got the woman's attention "You speak of how superior Atlas' defences are, yet every single time myself, my partner or my team came across one of Atlas' Paladins, it's either stolen by the White Fang or Roman Torchwick, sometimes even both and as such they always had us on their crosshairs instead of the Grimm. What does that say about Atlas' security if a well known thief and an even more notorious terrorist organization are capable of stealing Atlesian assets."

The woman spluttered as Weiss and Nyx smiled at Ryan's talking down.

"H-how dare you-"

"Please don't antagonise the guests Ryan."

A voice got Ryan's attention as the Faunus turned to see General Ironwood in a new design of his uniform back at Vale.

"General." Ryan regarded with a smile as Weiss and Nyx walked up to his sides.

"It's pleasant to see you three again." James stated before Ryan remembered something as a port opened on Unity's left arm before a small device extended out for the Iaijutsu user to remove and hand to the General.

"Here's the combat data from Unity and Fenrir, James."

"Perfect." James stated as he accepted the device "I'll have Winter forward the payment to your account after the Gala."

Weiss looked between the General and her teammate before asking Nyx "When did this happen?"

"A day after the Battle of Beacon, General Ironwood contacted Ryan to ask if he could send combat data of Unity and Fenrir while sending him Fenrir's schematics, Ryan sent the schematics so there will be replicas of Fenrir's frame made for Atlas in a couple of months, he just needed combat data from both Unity and Fenrir." Nyx explained.

"How much is General Ironwood paying him?" Weiss asked.

"How much is the Schnee family worth in lien?"

Weiss blinked in confusion at the question before answering "My father is worth 750,000 lien... My mother is 600,000 and myself and Whitley are 325,000 each."

"And I can assume Specialist Winter's position reduced her worth?"

The heiress nodded "160,000."

Nyx nodded before finally answering "Well to answer your question, Ironwood is paying Ryan 55,000 lien now and that same amount every month."

Weiss gawked at the fact that Ryan was being paid so much "But only Specialists like Winter are paid that much."

"Oh yeah and Ironwood threw in a prototype vehicle for Ryan to use to boot."

Weiss choked at the extra statement "Okay, why does he need that!? He can fly, can't he?"

"True but he stated there are somethings that cannot be experienced by flight, like the smell vehicles have when they're straight from the factory line."

"Of course." Weiss had long since given up trying to figure out what goes on in her nine tailed teammate's head to make him take such actions. "Why am I not surprised?"

"Believe me, as long as you avoid certain areas, Ryan's mind is actually an entertaining place to reside in." Nyx stated.

"I'll take your word for it Nyx." Weiss admitted before Ryan turned back to them.

"What are you two talking about?" The Faunus asked.

"I'm just explaining the situation between you and General Ironwood and the payment." Nyx answered.

A grin grew on Ryan's face as he turned giddy "I know; Titanium-Fire Dust alloy plating, all-terrain mobility, Gravity dust infused into the bumpers and tires, enough firepower to shred a herd of Megoliaths and even cup holders, seat warmers, a mini-bar and fridge. All built around a specialised engine with a custom paint job. I'm just imagining Ruby's reaction when she sees it."

"Indeed. 50 lien says she faints." Nyx stated.

"No bet." Weiss and Ryan stated simultaneously before laughing.

"Ryan?" James called out.

Ryan turned to the Atlesian Headmaster and responded "What is it James?"

"It seems the Atlas Council has learnt of the arrangement we made and has requested both yours and Nyx's presence to discuss why such has been made." James stated while holding his scroll.

"I shouldn't be surprised, what with the payment and royalties on par with your Specialists plus the prototype vehicle. Once the Gala's finished we will head off right?"

At James' nod, the General exchanged goodbyes with Weiss and Nyx before walking near the exit so the trio could continue their enjoyment of the party.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Damn, so yeah Ryan and Nyx will be involved with the council next chapter and for those who don't know what Ryan was talking about after Henry left, here's a link to explain.  
> https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Pantheon/TropePantheons


End file.
